Coronavirus case total reaches 458 in Latvia

A further 12 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Latvian territory, raising the total number of cases from 446 on Wednesday to 458 on Thursday.

The new figure was released by the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC) which said 1,024 tests had been conducted during the previous 24-hour period.

In total 16,834 tests have been carried out since February 29.

32 patients are in hospital, most of whom have moderate symptoms of the disease but 3 of whom are in a serious condition. No deaths as a result of COVID-19 have yet been reported and the increase of 12 new cases was markedly lower than in recent days.

Later in the day the SPKC updated its statistical pages, which can be seen via the tweet below.

You can read [in English] the current emergency regulations introduced by the government to tackle the spread of coronavirus at the government website. As reported by LSM earlier, the regulations were further extended following a government meeting March 29, enforcing a two-person, two-meter rule for physical social interactions. The relevant section of the regulations can be read in English in our earlier story.

There is also a dedicated official COVID-19 website with a variety of relevant information and contacts available in Latvian and Russian.

The SPKC has information in English about the approved methods of protecting yourself from the disease, symptoms and medical procedures and an interactive map plotting the incidence and distribution of the disease in Latvia.

Meanwhile, police will continue their checks to ensure people comply with quarantine regulations and do not gather in groups. They also have patrol cars doing the rounds broadcasting a message voiced by popular actor Rihards Lepers with suitable thespian gravitas, telling the public to maintain the two-person, two-meter rule, which you can hear below.